So good to see that the GOP-led Senate has its priorities straight…

Instead of Ending the Shutdown, Senators Plan to Encourage Punishment of Israel Boycotts

The Senate wants to provide legal cover to the many states violating the First Amendment by punishing people for their views on Israel.
In the middle of a government shutdown, the Senate leadership’s first order of business in the 116th Congress is not legislation to reopen the government.

Instead, and incredibly, the Senate is again trying to slip a measure intended to suppress protected political expression past public scrutiny. The bill is the “Combatting BDS Act,” which would express federal approval of state laws that place restrictions on boycotts of Israel and its settlements, as part of an effort to weaken the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel. The bill is included in S.1, which the Senate plans to vote on this week. On Monday, the ACLU sent a letter to senators expressing opposition to the bill.